Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ______________

3.5 Applying the Pythagorean Relationship

Working Example 1: Determining Distances With Right Triangles
a) Anthony and Shalima are canoeing on a lake between 2 boat ramps.
How far is it by canoe between the boat ramps?

Solution
boat ramp A
The 2 roads leading from the boat ramps make 1500 m
the legs of a triangle.
The distance by canoe is the hypotenuse, c.
Use the Pythagorean relationship. hypotenuse C
800 m
2 2 2
c =a +b
= 15002 + 8002
boat ramp B

= +

c=

c=

Anthony and Shalima canoe m.

b) Samantha and Nicole walk on the roads from ramp A to ramp B.

How much farther do Samantha and Nicole walk than Anthony and Shalima canoe?

Solution
Find the total distance by road between the boat ramps.

1500 + 800 =

The total distance by road is m.

Find the difference between the distance walked and the distance canoed.
Difference means
– 1700 = subtract.

Samantha and Nicole walked m more than Anthony and Shalima canoed.

140 MHR ● Chapter 3: Pythagorean Relationship

Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ______________

Working Example 2: Verify a Right Angle Triangle

Verify means
Danielle is trying to hang a corner shelf. check.
She thinks the 2 walls do not meet at a right angle
because the shelf does not fit.
She measures 30 cm from the corner along each wall.
Then, she measures the hypotenuse to be 41 cm.
Do the walls meet at a right angle?

Solution
First, draw a diagram.

41 cm
30 cm
?
30 cm

Use the Pythagorean relationship to find out if the triangle is a right triangle.
To be a right triangle, the sum of the areas of the 2 small squares must equal the area
of the large square.

a2 + b2 = c2

Left Side: Right Side:

a2 + b2 c2 = 412

= 302 + ____________ = ____________

= 900 + ____________

= ____________

1800 cm2 ≠ 1681 cm2

The triangle is not a right triangle, so the walls do not meet at a right angle.

142 MHR ● Chapter 3: Pythagorean Relationship

Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ______________

A ship travels west for 10 km.

Then, it turns and travels north.
If the ship is 25 km from its starting point, how far north did it travel?
Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a kilometre 25 km
(1 decimal place).

10 km starting
2 2 2 point
a) c =a +b

= + b2

= + b2

– = – + b2

= b2

=b

=b

Sentence: _________________________________________________________________

b) The ship did not take the shortest route.

How much farther did the ship travel than the shortest route?

_______________________________________________________________________

3.5 Applying the Pythagorean Relationship ● MHR 141

Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ______________

A construction company is digging a rectangular hole with a width of 17 m and

a length of 20 m. A worker measures the diagonal length to be 26.25 m.

a) Label the rectangle with the dimensions.

c=
a=
b) Is the corner a right angle? Explain your answer.

a2 + b2 = c2 b=

Left Side: Right Side:

a2 + b2 2
2
2 2 c =
= +
c=
= +

The left side is to the right side.

(equal or not equal)

The corner a right angle.

(is or is not)

1. Explain how you can use the Pythagorean relationship to calculate distance.
Use an example from real life.

_____________________________________________________________________________

2. Ilana used the following method to find out if the diagram shows a right triangle.

Left Side: Right Side: 61 cm

11 cm
The large square is 61 cm. 11 + 60 = 71
60 cm
The two smaller squares are 71 cm.
61 cm ≠ 71 cm
The triangle is not a right triangle.

Is Ilana’s method correct? Circle YES or NO.

Explain how you know.

_____________________________________________________________________________
3.5 Applying the Pythagorean Relationship ● MHR 143
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ______________

3. Walter and Maria live beside a rectangular field.

a) Maria walked around 2 sides of the field.

How far did Maria walk? 120 m

+ = 300 m

Sentence: __________________________________________________________________

b) Walter walked across the field in a c) Who walked farther? By how much?
diagonal line. How far did Walter walk?
Round your answer to the nearest metre.

Formula → c2 = a2 + b2
Substitute →
Solve →

4. A wire is attached to the top of a pole and to the ground.

Find the height of the pole. wire
Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a metre (1 decimal place).
10 m
2 2 2
c =a +b

= + b2 2m

= + b2

– = – + b2

= b2

=b

=b

Sentence: ____________________________________________________________________
144 MHR ● Chapter 3: Pythagorean Relationship
Name: _____________________________________________________ Date: ______________

5. You are checking the design plans for a baseball diamond.

Is the triangle a right triangle? Explain.
27 m

37.1 m ?

27 m

_____________________________________________________________________________

80 cm
6. What is the height, h, of the wheelchair ramp? h
Round your answer to the nearest tenth of a centimetre (1 decimal place). 79 cm

Sentence: _______________________________________________________________

7. The size of a computer monitor is based on the

length of the diagonal of the screen. GREAT DEAL
42-cm monitor
25 cm on sale!
a) How long does the ad say the diagonal is? 30 cm

b) Shahriar thinks that the diagonal is not as large as the ad says.

Is he correct? Calculate the length of the diagonal to find out.

Use the
Pythagorean
relationship.

Sentence: __________________________________________________________________
3.5 Applying the Pythagorean Relationship ● MHR 145